Romanian Irina Anghel-Enescu, the founder of Triple Helix Association, has been included in the Global Teacher Prize Academy, the jury that awards a USD 1 million prize each year to an exceptional teacher. The Academy includes leading 137 figures from all fields, from the Harvard School of Education's dean to famous American actor Kevin Spacey. Irina Anghel-Enescu is the only Romanian in this jury.

The Varkey Foundation, created by American billionaire Sunny Varkey, established the Prize in 2014 to raise the stature of the teaching profession and to inspire children to embrace this career.

The award — the equivalent of a ‘Nobel Prize’ — operates under the patronage of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, UAE Vice President, Prime Minister, and Ruler of Dubai.

World leaders such as the UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon, Microsoft founder Bill Gates, and British Prime Minister David Cameron also support the Global Teacher Prize.

“I am honored to be part of the Global Teacher Prize Academy. It is an extraordinary project that aims to use his supporters’ reputation and the power of the money at stake to bring super-teachers in the spotlight,” said Irina Anghel-Enescu.

“I strongly believe that exceptional teachers should be seen as celebrities, in no way inferior to sportsmen or singers that we see so often in internal and international media,” she added.

The Global Teacher Prize competition targets teachers from around the world, who teach to children aged between 5 and 18. Applications for the 2016 edition can be submitted until October 10, 2015, and the winner will be announced at the Global Education and Skills Forum March 2016 in Dubai.

Nancie Atwell, a teacher from Maine, the US, was last year’s winner.

Irina Anghel-Enescu is the founder of Triple Helix Foundation, an NGO that supports Romania's development through entrepreneurship, education and leadership. She is also a member of the boards of several non-profit organizations operating internationally, and a Managing Director of the South Eastern European Private Equity and Venture Capital Association (SEEPEA).

In 2008, she was selected by Eisenhower Fellowships as one of the world’s 25 young leaders, and the World Economic Forum in Davos included her among the Young Global Leaders it celebrated in 2014.

Nobel Prize winner says education in Romania helped him a lot

Irina Popescu, irina.popescu@romania-insider.com